I Tested Out Greenworks 40V 21″ Brushless Mower and Loved It

The Greenworks Pro 40V 21” Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower was one of the first major players in the electric mower space when they launched their mower in 2016. Five years later, the market demand has steadily increased with increased public perception and battery capabilities.

Greenworks has really become a major player in the e-tool marketplace with over 75 tools in their 40V battery lineup (and growing!). Today we will examine one of Greenworks top selling models, the Pro 40V 21” Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower. 

Here are the quick takeaways from my experience with the Greenworks 40V mower:

• The Greenworks 40V mower has a great self-propelled function that is super intuitive
• The metal deck and brushless motor mean this battery powered mower was built to last
• The 40V lineup from Greenworks has a ton of tools, saving you big time money on batteries

Keep reading below to learn more about this mower. If you’re already sold, it can be found and purchased from a bunch of different retailers including Amazon (where we got it) or directly from Greenworks website.

Jump ahead to read more!

• First impressions
• My experience with the Greenworks mower
• Our recommendation

First impressions of the Greenworks Pro 40V 21” Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Though I haven’t always been the biggest fan of electric mowers, the Greenworks mower has caught my attention for a variety of different reasons; the light, compact design, the SmartCut™ technology which enables you to adjust blade speed, and the variable speed setting to control how fast the mower goes. The cool green color makes it pop too! Also, it’s a nice touch that this comes with a spare blade. 

Using the 40V Greenworks mower compared to a gas mower

This Greenworks 40V mower is very intuitive. It includes a start button (which is very strange for a guy who is used to ripping a string to get his mower humming). Now I just click a button and it quietly hums along.

It also includes a turbo button to, you guessed it, turn up the power on your cuts. It also includes an on-board battery indicator up by the throttle control so you can easily see how much power you have left. 

The mower also has EZ Fold Handles which cause it to break down and store with ease. It also features a 7-position single lever height adjustment handle on the back right side which I must say is a pretty sweet addition. I can’t stand having to change all four of my different wheel heights and inevitably I forget to change one and have uneven cuts for a few passes.

Durability – the metal deck on the Greenworks mower

The 21” steel deck should provide good durability in the event you run over a rock, stick or tennis ball. When compared to plastic decks, metal decks are FAR superior.

Greenworks also provides a 4 year tool & battery warranty which is pretty long in my opinion. It must mean they stand by their product! I believe most mowers have a 3 year warranty so adding that additional year means they must really believe in their product. 

Lastly – a brushless motor makes this a super great option for long-term use. Brushless motors are cooler, longer lasting, and way more durable.

Battery Life

Greenworks 40V mower boasts a 60 minute battery and I’m like… So?… Unless you have ¼ to ½ an acre yard this is simply not enough time to cut your yard – Especially if you use the NOS, I mean turbo button.

But in reality, this ends up being enough juice for most people. You can either buy an additional battery, or consider conserving battery life by making sure to mow when the grass is completely dry or by leaving the self-propelled function off.

My experience using Greenworks’ 40V lineup of mowers

The mower itself is pretty light and easy to handle even though the deck is made of steel. Most people from the age of 12 – 65 should be able to handle this mean green mowing machine just fine. It also folds up in a self proclaimed “2 seconds.” So take that for what you will.

I don’t know how that really impacts the way the mower works but I guess it makes it that much quicker to a nice brewski during a hot summer afternoon. 

SmartCut technology from Greenworks

Greenworks also uses a SmartCut technology that lets you control how fast your blade spins, thereby impacting how long your battery lasts as well. The battery pack on this mower says you can run it for 60 minutes but that will more than likely be on the lowest setting possible and the minute you start to introduce hills and tougher mowing conditions your battery will be zapped.

Also this mower is rated for a ¾ of an acre yard but my yard is ¾ an acre and I’ve never mowed it in less than an hour so I’d imagine I’ll have to buy another battery to finish the whole yard.

Clipping control settings

In addition to controlling how fast the blade spins you can also control what happens to your clippings, you can select 1 of 4 different mowing settings: Mulch, Bagging, Side Discharge and Leaf Pick-Up. Personally, I have no idea why anyone would use the side discharge option. It seems like it’d be such a mess to me. I see myself using the mulch and leaf pick-up options the most. The bagging option would probably only be used on my first mow of the season if I’m late to getting the cut in. I currently use my bag to chop up leaves and pack them in a little tighter. 

The self-propelled function on electric mowers

This mower also offers the user the ability to control how fast the self-propelled function works. Similar to the SmartCut technology discussed above I imagine if you want to go faster you’ll use the battery much quicker than 60 minutes. I guess that’s the price you pay for not wanting to use gas powered mowers.

Another feature that I found to be beneficial were the headlights – that’d really come in handy during late fall afternoon mows when the sun starts to set early. I also thought the leaf pickup function via the turbo button would be really handy, basically a vacuum for your yard. From what I can gather it turns the blade off and just sucks up the leaves.

Greenworks Pro 40V 21” Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower: Our recommendation

Check out the table below that highlights my thoughts on this Greenworks mower.

Interested in other electric mowers? Check out our guide for purchasing an electric lawn mower.